I try to avoid thinking of myself as a collector. That way, I don’t allow myself to get caught up in buying items unless I plan to use them at some point. However, because of the VMLP, I am interested in historic or unusual items. This Super A meter is one such item.
In the 1950s, Minolta experimented with rangefinder designs. The Minolta-35 was a Leica-inspired model made from 1947-1958, and it was the longest-lived rangefinder model. Alongside it, Minolta made a few rangefinder models with interchangeable lenses. There was the Minolta A2-LT (1958), now nearly impossible to find; the Super A (1957), which rarely appears for sale in the US; and the Minolta Sky, which never left prototype stage.
As might be expected, accessories for these cameras are more challenging to track down than the cameras themselves. A collector acquaintance showed me a picture of his A2-LT collection, which included lenses made for that mount, and that is the only image I have ever seen of those lenses. I have a Super A. Minolta made six lenses, along with a flash, meter and other accessories for it. I have three lenses—50mm f2, 50mm 1.8, and the 135mm f4. I also managed to locate a decent case. After those finds, pickings became very slim. In five years, I have seen the 35mm FL lens for sale only once—for a lot of money.
A meter for the Super A came with one of my cameras, but it doesn’t work. It’s a selenium meter from 1957, so it’s not a shock that it doesn’t work. Imagine my surprise, when a supposedly working meter showed up on eBay. It came with the box, instructions, and attachments. Not believing the meter worked, I wrote the seller who sent pics showing the needle moved. The initial asking price was more than I wanted to pay, so I told the seller what I would pay and asked him to contact me if it didn’t sell. He had just bought a huge lot from a photographer and was motivated to sell. A few days later, he suggested a selling price of $ 11.00 over my initial offer, which I accepted.
Fully expecting to have to do a return, I tested the meter using the Pocket Light Meter app. Surprisingly, it works and is accurate! The second surprise was that it is both an incident and reflected light meter. Now, when I take my Super A out, I can leave the iPhone in my pocket.
A working, accurate Super A meter from over 60 years ago—wow. It’s the little things that make life sweet.